‘The Amazing Race 34’: Derek Thought He and Claire Would Break up After the First Leg
The Amazing Race 34 came to an end on Wednesday night, and fans finally know which team is the winner. And following the premiere of the final leg, Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss shared their thoughts about their experience in The Amazing Race 34 and how their relationship evolved from racing together.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from The Amazing Race 34 finale, “The Only Leg That Matters.”]
Derek and Claire are the winners of ‘The Amazing Race 34’
Spoiler alert — Derek and Claire won The Amazing Race 34 during the finale in Nashville, Tennessee. They competed against Emily Bushnell, Molly Sinert, Luis Colon, and Michelle Burgos in the last leg, and the Big Brother couple came out on top.
Derek and Claire took an early lead when they were the first team to arrive at the Roadblock. And thanks to Derek’s physical abilities, he was able to finish the challenge swiftly. Next, the pair had to deliver guitars to three different honky-tonks. And then only one task stood between them and the finish line.
Derek and Claire began the musical memory challenge, which proved to be the perfect final task for the couple. Derek plays piano, and Claire has a great memory. Together, they finished the challenge before Emily, Molly, Luis, and Michelle. And then Derek and Claire ran to the pit stop, where host Phil Keoghan crowned them the winners of The Amazing Race 34.
Derek revealed how he felt following the first leg
During an interview with Us Weekly, Derek and Claire reflected on their journey in The Amazing Race 34. And Derek disclosed one thought he had after the first leg in Munich, Germany.
“We went into the race, and I was like, ‘Me and Claire are going to win this,'” Derek shared. “I was like, ‘I cannot imagine us fighting over anything. I can’t imagine a stronger relationship.’ Day one — I was like, we’re gonna break up. We’re gonna break up. This is so hard. This is impossible. Like, oh, my God. And then I think after that, it’s just been a climb back up. And I think we’re definitely stronger than even when we started.”
He added, “I think at the very beginning, I had delusions of grandeur around how good our relationship was because we hadn’t been tested. So I didn’t know. But then we actually got tested, and now I think our relationship actually is where I thought it was.”
Claire chimed in and said, “I do understand why people are like, ‘You go on the race, and you’re gonna break up, or you’re gonna make it work.’ We just were really required to talk about, like, how do we communicate, how do we wanna solve problems? And be very honest and be very real with each other in a way that I think a lot of couples don’t have to be, necessarily, and still be happy.”
“So that just made it so much stronger,” she concluded. “And it’s made it so much more applicable when we get into like fights or whatever outside of the race, too. I do think it was really a test, which I think is very cliche, that people say. But I think that it did make us a lot stronger.”
What will Derek and Claire do with their ‘The Amazing Race’ prize money?
Now that Derek and Claire have $1 million (before taxes) to spend from winning The Amazing Race 34, what will they do with it?
The couple has since got an apartment in Los Angeles, which they recently moved into. As for the rest of their money, that is yet to be decided or revealed. But Derek and Claire shared during their interview with Us Weekly that they were considering adopting a dog.
The Amazing Race 34 is available to stream on Paramount+.
